Preparation

With motor running, add water to trout purée in a slow stream and process until water is absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and fold in reserved trout, then pack mixture into a 4-cup glass or ceramic mold or bowl. Cover surface with wax paper, then tightly cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 6 hours to allow flavors to develop. Bring spread to room temperature before serving. (This will take 1 to 2 hours.)

SELECT LATEST REVIEWS

I made this recipe every year as part of our annual St. Patrick's Day feast, until I realized that it was the IDEA of this spread, not the actual thing, that I liked. Maybe it was the light coat of butter it left in my mouth that got to me in the end, but I eventually went half-and-half with butter & cream cheese and ditched the addition of water entirely. Much, much better, and still very rich.

jenoudi from Monterey, CA / 12.06.14

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Time was short so I bought canned smoked trout, and I think that may have been a mistake. Once I got to the point where I was adding the water, it did not incorporate into the mixture and separated out. The flavor was good, though I agree with the reviewer who said it seemed to be missing something. We love the smoked trout spreads at local restaurants, and I would like to find a recipe that works for us.

shmca from Fort Walton Beach, FL / 12.28.13

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This is best made as written. The butter doesn't taste heavy at all. In fact, the butter makes it lighter than cream cheese-based spreads. It's a whole different animal; you should try it as is. The one change I usually make is to use pre-seasoned lemon pepper smoked trout, which punches up the lemon flavor nicely. It makes a nice filling for tea sandwiches as well.

cosbysl from San Francisco, CA / 12.27.11

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I have made this
recipe exactly as is
many times, and it
is wonderful - can't
imagine using salmon
or cream cheese in
this ... I don't
find it too rich at
all, just delicious.
Always gets rave
reviews, and I love
it because it is
easy and can be made
ahead of time. I've
even found that it
freezes decently, so
I usually make a
double batch and put
some away for later.
The only change I
make is to puree all
the trout, rather
than reserving some
chunks to stir in at
the end, as I prefer
a smoother texture.
Be sure to serve
it at room
temperature, to get
a more spreadable
consistency. I like
it on water
crackers, or with
cream cheese,
tomato, onion, and
capers on a bagel.

asadacca from New York, NY / 02.12.11

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I am not rating
this recipe, just
commenting on the
main ingredient
since several
people couldn't
locate smoked trout
and used salmon
with so-so
results. I found
smoked trout at
Costco, about $7/12-
oz. Hot-smoked
salmon would be a
suitable
substitute whereas
canned or cold
smoked salmon
probably wouldn't
work well.
Hot-smoked fish is
always a filet with
the skin on, and
is clearly cooked
whereas cold smoked
salmon has a raw
texture similar to
lox or nova. In
Florida,
smoked spread made
from smoked white
fish is very
common. I've also
had smoked fish
spread in the
Pacific Northwest
made from hot-
smoked salmon.
I didn't make this
recipe because the
water and butter in
this recipe was a
surprise so found
an alternative
concoction using
cream cheese. Came
out great, and
served it on endive
leaves instead of
crackers for some
added pizzazz.

A Cook from St Pete FL / 03.22.08

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This recipe makes a lot
and it's very rich. It was
good, but seemed a bit
bland to be honest; like
it was missing
something, but I'm not
sure what. I smoked my
own trout and loved it
on it's own, but the
flavor really diluted once
it combined with all the
other ingredients.

carolebuzzer from Bay Area, CA / 10.30.07

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I too went 1/2 butter and
1/2 cream cheese with a
lettle less water. Added a
bit more lemon and a few
grinds of sea salt. I and my
guests liked it.

ksurette from elizabeth, co. / 09.23.07

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Excellent! I took other reviewer's
suggestions and used 1 stick of unsalted
butter and 1/2 cup whipped light cream
cheese (instead of 2 sticks butter), and
only used about 2/3-3/4 cup water -
checking the consistency as I blended.
Other than that I followed the recipe
exactly and it was positively delicious.
The crowd of 7 people devoured it. I
served it with melba toasts and wheat
crackers, but next time I'd would use
more firm/thicker cracker (like an Akmak
or RyKrisp) or mini pumpernickel or rye
bread rounds.

leezel26 from Los Angeles, CA / 05.07.07

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Definitely too rich as is. Would go lighter on butter, cream cheese would probably be the way to go. Didn't put as much water as stated in the recipe - was adding it in small quantities - I think the whole quantity would be too much.

A Cook from BOSTON MA / 04.13.06

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I couldn't find smoked trout on short notice, so I substitued dry smoked salmon. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the letter, and served it with crispbread wafers. My guests devoured it. Personally, I found it a bit rich.